[Game Thread] Chapter One: Awakenings..

[Elwen]

As Saranya examines the sandals, she finds them a perfect size for her own feet. The coin has a bearded face on one side, the Emperor, she realizes, and on the other a shaft of wheat. It seems to be a standard silver piece of the Empire, she does not recognize anything strange about it.

for Olorian Something tickles your thoughts. The coin is not important, but what it represents: Free trade and prosperity of commerce.

The man blinks and then looks to Saranya, frowning before forcing a smile. "Saranya, blessings of civilization upon you. I'm afraid I haven't seen any of your..flock..in attendance today. Perhaps they are indulging in the games of chance by the wharves?" There's a hint of disdain in his voice.

Tali and Ingus The tavern is raucous in the early afternoon. Two pretty serving wenches weave their way through the crowd, avoiding pinches as they serve flagons of ale and helpings of what looks to be some sort of stew. Your entrance does not draw much notice, aside from the appraising looks men have been giving the two of you all day. Taliren, as per usual, is the prettiest face in the room, and the sight of a dwarf does draw some startled looks and some whispers. There are open stools at the bar, and assuming you take a seat there, the barkeep, a stout man with red curly hair and muttonchops, glances your way. "What'll it be?" he asks, all professionalism, the one person who resisted the urge to stare.

[Olorian]

Hmm... strange... those sandals seem to fit my feet extraordinarily well... would it be me who placed them there? Hmmm...

As the man replies with a frown and a forced smile, Saranya looks pleadingly at him. "Thank you for your blessing. Father, there's something I must tell you." Her voice drops to a whisper, so only he and perhaps Gwenn can hear it. "Father, yesterday morning when I walked out the city gates to stroll in the countryside for a while, all of a sudden my world went black. When I woke up, a thick branch from a tree was lying next to me on the ground. I concluded the thing must have fallen on my head... but..." the half-elf pauses, wiping her eye as if to block out a tear, "...I seem to have lost a huge part of my memory... I couldn't even recall those two fellows at the gates. And last night I was at the undertaker's cottage, where I found this friendly woman, but we were attacked by men in dark robes and their dogs! So... a huge favor I need to ask of you, father... could you tell me who I am and what my connection is to this church?" Saranya looks over her shoulder to see if Gwenn has joined the father and her.

[Zeppo007]

for Nimlos "Not trying to be funny. You do have certain assets that a surly dwarf like myself does not have. If that can net us some valuable information, why not try it?" Ingus knows that this must be uncomfortable in the extreme for Taliryn and the male consciousness that inhabits her body. She is very pretty though and they should be trying to use whatever advantages they can find to get info.

Ingus breathes in the fragrant air of the Green Dragon Inn as he and Taliryn enter the common room. "Always curious about what Dwarven Ale tastes like." He says in a low voice meant only for Tali. He sits down at the bar and throws a gold piece on the counter. "I'll take an dwarven ale if yah got any and get whatever my friend here what she wants as well. Keep em coming too, I'm thirsty." He says when the barkeep asks. Ingus looks around the bar nonchalantly as he waits for his drink seeing if any thing jumps out at him.

Mechanics Perception check = 13

[Nimlos]

for Zeppo007 "Yeah. Easy for you to say," she responds with a slightly uncomfortable squirm before continuing to stalk down the street for a few more paces, then turns her head to glance at Ingus again. "You never know," she remarks speculatively. "Maybe some of the guys in there swing the other way. To someone with a real thing for 'beards,' you'd be a hell of a treat. Maybe someone in there who hasn't taken a bath in a month is just dying to run his fingers through that beard. Do you want to try that?" The jibe at Ingus doesn't provide her with much in the way of relief, however, and she finds herself increasingly nervous as they approach the tavern.

Entering the loud, raucous tavern, Tali swallows hard and fixes her gaze on the bar at one end of the main room, walking toward it with a purpose. The smell of the place is both normal and strange, the odors of alcohol and smoke she's used to mixed with a melange of other scents that seem less familiar. Studiously ignoring any of the looks directed their way, she follows Ingus over to the bar and slides onto one of the stools.

Ingus' words to the bartender cause her a moment of confusion - she's still not at all accustomed to hearing the feminine pronoun in reference to herself - and when he looks at her for her order, she finds herself scrambling to think of what to say. "A pint of ..." she begins, then stops abruptly. She was about to ask for Harp, but whatever this place is, it's a long damn way from Ireland. The thought of dwarven ale summons up ideas of something black, thick and creamy, and that sounds incredibly disgusting. She glances up at the impatient bartender and says the first thing that comes to mind. "Mead." He turns away and she feels a look of surprise sliding across her face. "Why the hell did I order that? Mead tastes like ass. Frickin' fermented honey?" By the time she thinks to stop him, though, it's too late, and a moment later there's a mug of gold-colored liquid in front of her. "Hell with it," she mutters, taking a drink. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she takes another, longer drink. "Damn," she observes, in a voice only Ingus could hear. "Different taste buds, I guess. I actually like this."

After a few more swallows of the mead, she turns her head enough to look out at the common room, her eyes skipping about for anything of interest. Every time she tries it, though, she finds someone staring at the two of them, and quickly turns back to the bar again, afraid they're thinking exactly what Ingus suggested they were before they got here.

Concentrating on the half-finished cup of mead before her, she keeps her back to the rest of the room and hopes they do the same.

"Busy around here," she remarks to the bartender as he passes by. "Of course it's busy, moron," she tells herself immediately. "It's a city busting with refugees, what the hell else are they going to do?" Casting about quickly for a way to segue the conversation, she decides to go with the simple option. "Do you still have rooms available? We'll need ..." she pauses a second to consider "...three for the night."

 

Perception? What perception?
Perception check: 9

[girlplay]

Gwenn turned to C'laak and asked quietly, "who has that medallion we found with the snake symbol?" She had a feeling it was Ingus but she could not honestly remember. Returning to Sarayna's side, Gwenn added, "greetings, Father. May I interject? On the men that attacked us, we found an amulet of sorts. It bore a serpentine symbol and I was wondering if that might be the new... splinter group, I guess you could call it. A snake is a symbol of eternal life, after all, which is what the group is about, if I remember correctly?" Did she? Perhaps this priest could tell her if she was totally not-remembering or if she was on the right track.

[Elwen]

Saranya, Gwenn and C'laak The priest frowns, tilting his head at Saranya's falsehood. "I don't have time today for your silly games, girl." He grunts dismissively. "I always pegged Avandra's clergy as flighty, but this story of men and dogs and lost memories! Your connection to the church, as you well know, is one in which you are a guest and Erathis is your host. She has allowed you to maintain your altar for the purpose of unifying all faiths, but her patience with trivial games is not endless..." Turning to glance at the figurine (of a lizard, actually, not a snake), he frowns. "Yes, that looks like it belongs to one of the new rabble. Some sort of up and coming religion that's getting popular with the lower crust. Teaches that life is a hardship to be endured faithfully and that eternal life is the reward for those who endure it well. Its only natural cults like this would gain favor with the peasants during hard times. It will die out on its own eventually," He shrugs dismissively. "Such new gods lack the power to endure."

Taliren and Ingus Eventually even the novelty of a dwarf and a pretty half-elf wear off and most of the patrons go back to their drinks and conversations. The barkeep serves up the ale and mead before shaking his head. "We're stuffed to the gills here with refugees...damned if it don't make for a fine bit of coin, the one's that can pay anyway, but the city's burstin' at the seams as it is. I can maybe find you one room, not three, an' you're like to find the same story all over town, sweetheart." He grumbles, cleaning a mug with a rag. "Damned farmers going to eat us out of home and hearth.." He turns to refill the beer of a customer at the end of the bar. "Gill talks rough, but that old lug's heart is too big for his own good," One of the serving girls murmurs to you, overhearing the conversation. "He's been letting them as can't pay stay for free, if they've got little ones. Lost his own son in the war and can't say no to a good sob story. Poor old fool's gonna go out of business before the war's over.."

[Nimlos]

Tali shakes her head at the bartender's words, nearly mistaking the feel of her hair brushing her back and shoulders for the touch of a hand and only barely quelling a startled jump before it begins.

"Christ, I'm nervous..."

"One room won't do it," she tells him, shaking her head again. "We've got five people total." For a moment, she considers offering the man a bit of extra money to make room, but the serving girl's whispered explanation tells her that probably won't work anyway. She nods once in acknowledgment of what the girl just told her and leans a little closer to Ingus, lowering her voice so only he can hear her.

"What do you think? All the people in this city, I'm guessing it's gonna be like this pretty much everywhere that's cheap, so how about instead we go for a place that's a little more upscale? Betting a nicer place won't make room for people who can't pay. We got some money; may as well use some of it. So maybe one of us stays here to wait for the others and one of us goes to find rooms somewhere else?"

OOC Ack - the bartender's name is Gil? That was the name of the bartender at a place I used to go to several times a week. Now I'll be unable to picture him without a wild shock of white hair, a starched white shirt (he had a closet full of them, all the exact same style, wore one every single day) and a cigarette in his hand.

[Zeppo007]

Ingus stares greedily at the mug of frothy brew that is set in front of him. Though not as dark as his favorite Terran brew Guinness it is nonetheless rather dark. He takes an experimental sip and finds his expectations have been exceeded. "Gods this is good beer." He says reverently as he proceeds to drain the mug rather quickly.

Ingus is in the midst of signaling Gill for a second brew when Tali leans over to speak with him. "Sounds good to me. I'll volunteer to stay here since a dwarf would be easier to track through this city if those cultists are actively looking to enact revenge on us for killing their friends. Plus I want some more quality time with this awesome beverage." He smiles as another beer is placed in front of him.

[Nimlos]

"Just be sure you don't enjoy it too much. God knows what's actually in it. Back as soon as I find ... something." With that, she slides back off the barstool, leaving behind a cup that's now about a quarter full of mead and making her way back out the front door of the Green Dragon.

Outside in the street, she pauses a moment to try to get her bearings, striving to remember just which direction she needs to go to get to a nicer part of town, and if she saw anything that looked like a likely suspect for lodging when she was walking through a couple of hours previously.

Not entirely sure she knows where she's going, but reasonably certain she has a good idea, she sets off alone down the street in search of an upscale inn that may have some rooms available.

 

Streetwise: 12

[Olorian]

Saranya, Gwenn and C'laak At the priests words, Saranya is lost in thought for a second, despite the fact that the Father didn't buy all of her tale. It was actually true for the most part, only the branch on her head thing wasn't quite how it happened... The father mentions the clergy of Avandra. In her head, Saranya tries to put a few pieces together. The altar with the sandals and the coin - clearly the sign of free trade and travel. The priests remark about her 'flock' at the wharves. Apparently this former body inhabitant was some kind of religious fighter... someone with a following. Perhaps this means she's... a paladin of Avandra? Did Avandra actually have paladins? Unfortunately, Saranya can't remember what kind of goddess Avandra was... the picture of Erathis had come to her mind from the PHB, but she can't remember having read a lot about Avandra. Something tells her it is a good god though. If only gods existed, she thinks skeptically, they might have shown us a way out of this foreign world. "I'm sorry, father, I truly wasn't making this up... okay perhaps I didn't find that branch beside me, but I truly have lost most of my memories... but if it bothers you that much, I'll go and find my flock and see if they are more willing to help me out there. Goodbye, father, and greetings to Erathis." Without another word, Saranya looks shoulder-shruggingly at Gwenn, for now ignoring the father's words about the figurine and the cult, and walks out of the temple, checking out if C'laak is still in the temple or whether he has already gone outside too. She'd prefer a word in private with the two of them to consider their next course of action. Not more than an hour has passed, probably, since they had left Ingus and Tali in search of other information on this city, and they still have another few hours to go before they are to meet at that Green Dragon Inn.

[girlplay]

Saranya, Gwenn, and C'laak Gwenn wasn't too sure about the notion of Saranya having a flock of religous followers, or even being a part of any faith since the seemed to be a relatively dedicated atheist. She mentally reminded herself, again, that she could have to show the warrior-woman that at least magic existed. That would certainly be an eye opener. The red-head stood aside while Sarayna turned and left. "Father, if I could trouble you for a moment more... Why I brought this idol was not just for show and tell. The men we found with it were digging up graves in the graveyard outside of town," she pointed in the general direction of the gate they had come in through. "One of them mentioned something about using the bodies for something... well, and our bodies for something," she added, indicating herself and C'laak. With a shrug, she concluded, "just thought the Hammers would like to know."

[Elwen]

Saranya, Gwenn, C'laak The man frowns and nods. "Grave robbing is illegal, of course. I will pass the information to the authorities...though to be quite honest its the least of their problems right now. Its why so many families are turning to...'freelance' investigators...in manners such as this." He nods to Saranya. "May the goddess restore what you have lost, if that is true. I have never heard of such a thing happening, but there are many things in this world I have yet to experience."

[Olorian]

Saranya, Gwenn, C'laak The priests words follow Saranya to the door of the temple, causing a barely audible "Hmpf..." from the half-elf's lips. She doesn't look back at the long-toed priest as she walks through the temple's front door. She waits outside for Gwenn and C'laak, to decide their next course of action. I'd be curious to see who or what's at the wharves... never had a 'flock' before, heheh. But perhaps we'd better team up with the other two before we go there. Wouldn't hurt to learn what they've found out about this nice city. Sarcasm about their destiny fills the warrior woman's thoughts, while she waits for the half-orc and the human, stranded strangers in a world as unfamiliar as any good nightmare.

[Elwen]

Saranya, Gwenn and C'laak begin heading to the dock district of town, wandering out of the pristine upper class and into the less maintained outskirts of the city. Along the way, they cross paths with Taliren, who happens to be returning to the same destination after having found rooms at the Lady's Favor Inn for 4 gold crowns a room. The inn is found in a more upscale part of town and, while crowded, did have three rooms free, though the prices seem a bit inflated.

The group returns to pick up Ingus, whose cast-iron stomach is absorbing the low quality ale a lot better than his old body's could have.

[Nimlos]

for Elwen The price of the rooms was a bit more than she had expected, and Tali finds herself preoccupied with, of all things, finances as she makes her way back toward the Green Dragon. Of course, finances are only the tip of the iceberg that's currently bobbing up and down in her brain. "Twelve a night ... that's a third of what I have," she muses. "The others can't have much more. Means we don't have long at prices like that until we're flat." She shakes her head in annoyance. "Can't think like that. Won't come up. Can't. Gonna be home soon. Get the hell out of ... out of whatever the hell's happened to us. Get home..." Her thoughts turning chaotic, they drift away from words and coherent ideas toward a series of images and feelings of what's left behind, what's waiting for her, what the future might hold and whether there's any chance of ... angrily she forces such thoughts under control, tamping them down with an effort of sheer will. There was a way back. They would find it. Tomorrow, with any damned luck. Thinking otherwise, thinking about what might be if they couldn't ... that was nothing but a recipe for going batsh*t crazy in this place. While she was distracted, her muscle memory took over, lapsing into the graceful and feminine walk she didn't know she possessed, but after forcing such ruminations to the back of her mind, the immediate present of her predicament is hard to avoid. Still uncomfortably aware of all the differences in this body compared to the one she's used to, she's not quite as awkward as she was a day before when she woke up here in this insane world.

Walking slowly along the street, obviously distracted and preoccupied, Tali is very nearly on top of the other three before she recognizes Saranya, and a moment later Gween and C'laak, an expression of surprise dawning on her face.

"Hey," she says after a moment. "Just heading back to the Green Dragon now to wait for y'all. Ingus is there already." As they all fall into step together, she lowers her voice so as not to be overheard. "Only one room available there, with all the refugees, so had to go look in a nicer part of the city to get us a place to crash tonight. Not cheap." She shakes her head. "Hope you got something good for a road home, because we don't." She holds out one small fist, then extends her forefinger. "We found out there's no dwarves around anymore. Yeah, pretty much don't care either." She extends a second finger. "We found out there's a wizards' school - and God I still can't say that without feeling like an idiot - but can't get in because of some force field or something blocking the gate. Yeah, I feel like an idiot saying that too." Extending a third finger, she shrugs again. "And we found out there's some weird sage living in a tower on the edge of the city, which, if I know my gaming conventions, is more than likely our best bet."

Pulling open the door of the Green Dragon, she gestures the others inside. "Don't know if your two little friends are here yet or not," she tells Saranya. "Just hope Ingus isn't too plastered to walk by now."